Gasoline-supply lock



Oct. 28 1924. 1513.481

M. H. BREDE GASCLINE. SUPPLY LOCK Filed Dec. 6, 1922 ?atented Oct. 28, 1.924.

T D S gf' MARTIN H. BREDE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GASOLINE-SUPPLY LOCK.

Application led December 6, 1922. Seriell No. 605,204.

'To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I,MARTIN H. BREDE, a citizen of the vUnited States residing at Minneapolis, in the county of .ennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gasoline- Supply Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention provides an extremely simple and highly eiicient gasoline supply lock adapted for use in automobiles and for motor-propelled vehicles having internal combustion engines, and to such ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claim.

To positively cut off the supply of gasoline in an automobile is, of course, a very effectual way of preventing stealing of auto-` mobiles, and which would also prevent unauthorized use of automobiles such as the unauthorized use of automobiles in garages.

A mechanical lock applied for example in the transmission might also accomplish the general result but would be objectionable because it would prevent movements of the automobile in the garage or out of te ga rage in case of lire. TheI garage operators have frequently found or thought themselves justified in breaking mechanical locks simply because of a necessity .0f moving the car a short distance within the garage.

My invention meets all of the above noted requirements by the provision 4of a lockcontrolled valve so located inI the gasoline supply pipe that when the valve is closed all of the supply of gasoline will be cut off except a small amount contained in the car- -buretor bowl and in the short pipe section.

This small amount of gasoline in the carburetor bowl and short pipe section will be suicient to start and run the car from one lace to another in a garage or possibly the distance of about one block. Therefore, when the valve is locked, it will be possible for a car to be moved far enough'tol meet all emergency requirements, and in fact Ait will permit a person attempting to steal the machine to get fairly started down theA street, for example; but will then stall the carso that it cannot be moved further under its own" ower, and tampering of the machine w' be very noticeable.

A valve-actuating mechanism in the relative arrangement of parts embodying the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the invention; a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken axially through the valve and lock mechanism, some parts being shown in full;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fi 2; and

`ig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 5 indicates the customary gasoline supply tank which is .connected by a feed pipe 6 to the vacuum tank 7. This vacuum tank 7 is connected to a carburetor 8 through a feed pipe 9 in substantially the usual way except that in accordance with my invention, the lock-controlled cut-off valve is interposed in this pipe. In Fig. 2 the instrument board of the machine is indicated by the numeral 10. i As preferably designed, my improved valve mechanism comprises a tubular couplin-g tube 11 which has a lateral tubular valve seat 12 in which works a lunger lock valve 13. llhis valve 13, as s own, has a conical point that is arranged to open and close a valve seat 14 that constitutes an intermediate portion of the passage through the tube 11. The tube 11, at its ends, has enlarged externallyl threaded portions 15. formed with concave conical seats that closely fit flanges of the conical ends 16 formed Clamping sleeves 17 engage from being tampered with or removed.

sleeve .locking devices are provided, and these, as shown, comprise clutch-acting lock balls 18 placed in annular grooves 19 and 2O formed respectively in the ends 15 and nuts 17 by cutting through the threads thereof.' o permit insertion of the balls 18 into the grooves 19 and 20, radial holes 21 arev formed in the nuts and these may be v normally closed by screw-threaded plugs or the like. Obviously, when the balls 18 are ilo,

dropped in the aligned' grooves 19 and 20,

it will be impossible to screw the nuts 17 off from the ends 15, but will permit the tightening of the nuts 17. To slightly loosen said nuts .it would only permit leakage of gasoline and would not in any way assist a person in operating the car as it would not give any additional supply of gasoline, but might cut down slightly the small charge left in the carburetor bowl and short pipe section. ll`he extended end of the seat 12 is both internally and externally threaded and an annular plug 22 is screwed in the same. A coiled spring 23 isvplaced in the tubular seat 12 and compressed between the plug 22 and valve 13 thereby exerting a force normally holding said valve in position to cut o' the supply of gasoline through the tube 11. f

For releasing the valve 13 ll provide a lock-actuated device which comprises a tubular look casing 24 which in the preferred arrangement is applied to the instrument board 10. The externally threaded end of the tube 12 is connected to an extended end of the valve casing 24 by a tubular rod guide 25. Preferably, the unions between the lower end of the tubular guide 25 and the threaded end of the tube 12 and between the upper end Iof said guide and the adjacent end of the valve casing 24 are of substantially the same construction as the described connections between the tube 11 and pipe sections 9 and, as shown, these unions comprise clamping' nuts 26 that embrace the anged ends of the guide 25 and work with threaded engagement, one on the end of the tube 12 and the other on the casing. 24. Aligned with the tubular lock casing 24 is a key-actuated tumbler 27 adapted to be operated by a key 28 that acts on spring-pressed lock pins 29. This lock proper may be of any approved type but is preferably of the type such as the well known Yale or Corbin locks. ln such a lock, the tumbler 27 can be moved only when the proper key 28 is inserted so as to depress the lock pins 29 in the proper order `and manner.

Working within the lower portion of the lock casing 24 is a sort of lock bolt 30 that is capable of both axial and oscillatory movements. This bolt 30 is connected by a swivel 31 to the upper end lof a valve-operating wire or small rod 32 that extends through the tubular guide 25 and is connected to the cut-01T valve 13. r1ilhe tumbler 27 is provided with an axial lstem 33 that is freely telescoped in the axial opening in the bolt 30, and is provided with projecting pins 34 that work in longitudinal slots 35 formed in said bolt'. rllhe bolt 30 is provided with an oblique or swivel cam groove 36. A cam-acting ball 37 works about one-half in the cam groove 36 and the other half within a runway 38 formed within and extended longitudinally of the valve casing.

lWhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the cut o' valve 13 will be locked, and in thatl position the lock elements and key may be withdrawn from the lock and carried away by the owner of the car, and of course when the key yis removed, the tumbler 27 cannot be rotated and hence the cut-o' valve cannot be opened. When the operator desires to start the car, he inserts the key as shown in Fig. 2 and then rotates the'same and the axial stem 33 approximately 900 in a clockwise direction. @bviously, when the tumbler 27 is then rotated, the bolt 30 will also be rotated, and as the ball 37 cannot move farther downward in the groove 38 it will operate on the spiral capable of being quickly and easily applied` to automobiles and of being very easily and quickly `operated when it has been applied. lit meets all of the known requirements and has no features that preclude its use because of the necessity of being able to move the car short distances.

What l claim is:

rllhe combination with a gasoline feed pipe having a tubular lateral extension and in saidiextension a valve for cutting o' the flow through said pipe, a lock case, a tubular case connecting said lock case to the tubular extension of said feed pipe, a key-actuated tumbler in said lock case, a bolt connected to move axially in respect to but to rota-te with said tumbler, said bolt having a cam connection in said lock case whereby it will be moved axially when rotated, said cam connection comprising an axial slot in said case, a spiral slot in said bolt and a ball engaging said axial and spiral slots, and a wire connecting said bolt to said valve for operating the same, said valve being under spring strain to move into a closed position.

ln testimony whereof ll afix my signature.

MAlit'llllN H. lBRlElDlE.

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